Tuesday, February 21, 2017

I can't believe we are almost done with February! This month has been pretty good to me, but I still can't believe how quickly it's gone by!

I started the Kayla Itsines BBG 12-week challenge... but those workouts are so challenging to do at home with no real gym equipment. Some of the weeks require multiple benches and multiple sets of weights... and I have two hand weights that I got at Walmart and a chair from my dining room table. SO I've had to improvise!

I still do the scheduled out days from BBG (Mondays - Legs, Tuesday - low impact cardio, Wednesday - Arms/Abs, Thursday - high impact cardio, and Friday - full body), but instead of the four 7 minute circuits I've been following along with videos on Youtube. Today I've rounded up my favorites to share with y'all!

Legs and Arms with Sadie Lincoln (10 minutes) // Sadie Lincoln founded barre3, which is one of my allll time favorite exercises. Barre3 is all about small, isolated but repetitive movements that really makes you shake all over... but it works! This video is harder than it looks, I promise!

ARMS:

Total Arm Workout (10 minutes) // Arms are easily my least favorite thing to workout, but they're also where I want to see change! This is a short workout with a great and energetic trainer, so the 10 minutes go by pretty quickly.

Lazy Girl's Arm Workout (5 minutes) // I tried this the other day and I totally felt the burn without even leaving my seat! Bonus points for anything I can do in my PJs, extra bonus points for only being 5 minutes long!!ABS:

Butt and Abs Pilates Workout (30 minutes) // This one is a little longer, and has a few wide-range motions (like high kicks) so might not work in every space, but I'm willing to workout longer for a flat stomach and lifted butt!

Victoria's Secret Abs (10 minutes) // I haven't tried this video yet, but like I said... anything with Victoria's Secret in the title and I'm game. Plus, everyone in the comments LOVE this trainer and some even say that by doing this every day they've lost 10 pounds!!! I'm not sure if we should believe that, but hey... that's motivating for sure!

Barre Abs (10 minutes) // SURPRISE it's the same guy trainer that I love so much! Barre abs BURN! I did this video yesterday and couldn't even make it all 10 minutes without having to stop!

No More Muffin Top (10 minutes) // I did this last week and I was sore for DAYS! I can't wait to do this one again. I also love how this video has the exercises and times listed out so you can easily save them on a note in your phone and do them anywhere without having to watch the video.FULL BODY:

Total Body Tone Up (15 minutes) // This is a full video that really burns, but I love the positivity. I felt this in my abs, legs, arms... all over! Truly full body and super short.

30 Day Shred Level 1 (28 minutes) // I love Jillian Michaels' workouts. She has a killer body and is obviously great at what she does! My mom and I actually do this on a DVD sometimes and it is SO hard but successfully completing it feels AMAZING! This is the first level, but the second and third are also available on Youtube!

Victoria's Secret Model Workout (20 minutes) // One last VS workout to round out the post! The main trainer in this video trains Alessandra Ambrosio, who looks AMAZING after two kids (!!!), so a workout that is good enough for her is definitely good enough for me!

So there you go! These are some of my favorite videos that allow me to feel like I'm in the middle of a group exercise class from the comfort of my living room floor! The next thing I have to figure out is how to get in some high-intensity cardio without leaving too! I might never step foot inside a gym again ;)

If you try (or have tried, or want to try!) any of these videos, or have favorites of your own that I should try out, please let me know!

Monday, February 13, 2017

I have to be honest with you all... the past week truly got the best of me. Attitude wise, confidence wise... I was struggling. Job searching is tough. It's demoralizing, it's mentally taxing, especially when you feel like despite having the experience needed for a job you're just not good enough to actually get it.

So... I ran away from it all.

I gotta tell you, there's nothing quite like the rocky mountains to clear your head. (The fact that you can't really apply for jobs on a ski lift definitely helped too.)

Friday, February 3, 2017

Was it just me, or did this week seriously fly by?! Someone asked me on Wednesday what I did over the weekend and I just couldn't even remember, it felt like so much had happened since then! (I remembered later on that I went to see Hidden Figures... 10/10 would recommend to anybody!)

This weekend I'm looking forward to doing a little bit of shopping and relaxing on Saturday, and then preparing for the Super Bowl on Sunday! RISE UP!

The Cutest Falcons Fan // If you only watch/read/click/pretend to click one of the links I share today... make it this one. I saw this picture on Facebook and thought it was so precious, and now I think so even more after learning the back story. I'm so nervous for the game on Sunday, but I hope the Falcons can pull it out for Wyatt! (...and me)

How to Get Rid of Dark Circles // I'm trying to get back into a good skincare routine. Now that I'm living at home, I don't have the "college excuse" (going out, studying late, being extremely tired) to not take care of my skin! One thing I've really noticed is that I have dark circles under my eyes, even though I definitely get enough sleep, hydrate all day, hardly drink alcohol, and generally stay away from salty foods. I'm definitely going to try some of these concealers and creams mentioned in this article... but do y'all have any advice??

Budweiser Super Bowl Ad // I usually try not to watch Super Bowl commercials until the night of, but Ellen DeGeneres shared this one and I gave in. I love it. I think it's timely and well-made, and I seriously applaud Budweiser for creating it.

NFL Bad Lip Reading 2017 // And to finish it off... the NFL bad lip reading is here! These videos always crack me up. This year's is no different.

Thursday, February 2, 2017

I can't believe February is already here! This year is already flying by. Today is also Groundhog Day... here in Georgia, our groundhog didn't see his shadow so spring is coming early, which is fitting since the highs for the rest of the week are in the upper 60s, some even in the low 70s.

I have a lot of goals for February!

Read new books // I spent the month of January re-reading my Harry Potter books... oops! Technically, that means that I read 7 books in one month. On the other hand, I've read all of the books multiple times so I don't know if it really counts! I need to start reading new books in 2017, which won't be hard because when I was cleaning out my wallet I found an unused Barnes and Noble gift card! Now I just need to go and browse!

Join a gym // I'm working on a post now about my favorite at-home workout videos, and I'm so excited to finish it and share it with y'all. However, as I was trying out all the videos... I realize how much I missed having and going to a gym! Working out at home is hard for me since I live with my parents, who each have their own routine, and have to do it in my room... which means no jumping and I'm always a foot away from my bed... which is so cozy and warm! And honestly, I miss the treadmill and being able to RUN! (My neighborhood is extremely hilly... no thank you!) This month I'm going to start looking for an inexpensive gym to join in my neighborhood.

Get back into regular posting // I really want to get back into the swing of things with posts! Since my schedule was so crazy last semester I let the blog suffer... one of my goals for February is to post more consistently. I've also been toying with the idea of adding a vlog feature or even a newsletter... I'll definitely be brainstorming about those ideas more this month too.

Journal more often // Journaling was one of the things that I wanted to do more of this year... and so far I haven't been all that great at it. I'm trying to slowly get in the habit of journaling before bed each night to clear my head before going to sleep.

Do more outfit posts // Ok this is the last goal for the month, and it's also the goal I'm not 100% set on. In Columbia I had roommates and sorority sisters and other friends to take pictures of me for the blog... and now I have my mom (who doesn't even really know how to take pictures on her phone!). Hopefully I can at least brainstorm on how to start posting outfit pictures again this month, and then actually do it in March.